


Desolate

by Heinouskid



Series: 'Til Morning Comes [2]
Category: The Creatures (Youtube RPF)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Emotional Constipation, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, the spoe is pretty minor, they talk things through
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-22 17:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3737161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heinouskid/pseuds/Heinouskid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aleks never asked to be born as an omega, or carry all the stigma that came with it. It's better to pretend he never was one in the first place. Life got easier, until he met James. A/B/O verse. Prequel/Sequel to Tessellate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ever worried that it might be ruined?

**Author's Note:**

> another Novahd Alpha/Beta/Omega fic ayyy. Not smut this time tho, more world building and developing character relationships. I wanted to explore the A/B/O verse mostly. This is a prequel/sequel to my fic Tessellate which is rly just smut. You don't need to read the first to understand what's going on here. This part is SUPER short btw

When Aleks was just a five year old child still living in Russia with his parents, he didn't understand what it meant to be an omega. His mother, bless her kind soul, shielded him from the injustice that came with being omega and the blatant favoritism shown towards alphas. Betas were treated with less respect than alphas, but it was better than being the lowest rung on the social ladder. She thought it would be kinder to keep her son unaware of what his future held in store. But Aleks' mother couldn't protect him forever.

School, friends, even his father were quick to show what society thought of people like him. Aleks' father was the stereotypical alpha, big and loud and demanding, with dreams of having strong alpha children just like him. To have an omega son was like having a thorn in his side: a hindrance he cannot remove. On good days he barely acknowledged Aleks. On bad days he went after his son with harsh words and harsher hands. His mother always intervened , however, and she ended up paying the price after one too rough fight.

Another lesson for Aleks learned: omegas barely had rights. The death of his mother was swept under the rug, she was labelled as a mentally unstable omega, and her mate went scot-free. Aleks was seven years old.

His father decided to pack things up and move to the U.S.A. with his unwanted son. Things were only marginally better for omegas there. Alpha kids still sneered nasty words at him in the hallways and adults either gave him pitying glances or looked straight through him as if he were glass. His father still got drunk and shouted and hurt him. When Aleks turned 12 he saw two omega teenagers hunched over in the high school parking lot, trading pills. Thyaxtin, Vaparol, Setazevin. Little pills sold underneath bleachers or in corners of locker rooms that supposedly masked an omegas telltale scent and wiped out their heats. Aleks was too young to have heats, he didn't yet see why anyone would go so far to deny who they are.

At 14 years old Aleks was playing on his old gameboy when the first pangs of pain shot through his body. He ran to his father, crying and hoping for some sort of relief. As soon as he came close enough for the alpha to smell him, his father snatched him by the arm and dragged him down to the basement. No amount of sobbing, screaming, clawing unlocked the door. There was a bathroom and his father brought down food and water, but he always locked the door when he left. It was dark and cold and lonely, and the white hot pain left him curled up on the floor. It lasted a week. When he was let out, his father wouldn't look him in the eyes, and nobody at school questioned why he disappeared for so long. Other kids sometimes left for days as well, and Aleks realized that they were omegas going through their heats. Nobody asked them what happened either.

As time passed the heats intensified into something different. The pain would always be there but this certain [i]want[/I] would be mingled in. Aleks was terrified of being caught masturbating, so he spent his time twisting and leaning against the broken washing machine his father never bothered to fix. Even worse, it was easier to identify him as an omega, alphas sniffing after him with greedy smirks. After a particularly bad heat, Aleks slipped behind the dumpsters at the back of the highschool and bought cheap "odor-masking" pills from an omega with scared eyes and shaky hands. Aleks was 16.

There were bright spots Aleks had in his life. In 2011, Heat Suppressant medication was legalized in the United States, thanks to the efforts of omega rights groups. The usage of beta body wash by omegas wasn't 100% accepted, but it was considered less and less taboo. Most importantly to Aleks, he made several good friends online playing games. Nobody knew if you were really a beta or an omega online. Some didn't care. Like Eddie, who was strangely open minded for an alpha. But Aleks wasn't taking any chances. When they met face to face for the first time, Aleks might have gone overboard with the beta body wash. He conditioned himself to be less submissive, more abrasive. Not to the point of an alpha, of course, just enough to pass as a beta. Eddie fell for it. Everyone he met did, actually, and Aleks found life getting a little bit easier. He was invited to be a part of a youtube gaming group Eddie was in, The Creatures, and Aleks jumped at the chance. As soon as it was legal, he moved out of his dad's house and never looked back.

Now that he was spending more time around unrelated and unmated alphas, Aleks knew he had to take the proper precautions. He made sure to always have heat suppressant medication and odor-masking body wash on hand. He even had birth control pills tucked away in a safe place but he doubted they would ever be needed. Aleks wasn't planning to sleep with some thick-headed alpha anytime soon.

The Creatures were, unsurprisingly, made up of only alphas and betas. While Dan, Seamus, and Ze were betas, Jordan, Eddie, Nick, and James were alphas. There was this weird bias that omegas weren't simply as good let's players as alphas or betas. And it sucked and Aleks was growing increasingly more frustrated at how the world demanded him to be something specific. Something he never even had a choice in. He was thankful for it easy it was to pass as an alpha, it was ridiculous. There were times when James would brush past him and Aleks would feel the phantom touch of James on his arm, fantasies dancing in his head. And his heart would beat rabbit-quick because there was no way he felt like THAT for someone like HIM. No way Aleks was gonna swoon and become the perfect little omega eager to be bred by some big, strong alpha. Aleks spent less time with James and more time with his other friends.

Eddie was a very tactile person, sharing his affection through hugs and shoulder bumps and tender hair ruffling. It terrified Aleks that one day he would catch whiff of his natural omega scent. But he never did. Not even in their tearful goodbye hug before Eddie left for Florida.

The two new additions were an alpha and a beta, Dex and Kevin respectively. Aleks knew them from before, especially Kevin. He had always been unbiased towards omegas, had never uttered a single prejudice against them. But he was still a beta and so his opinions never did have the same weight if an alpha had held them. Dex was a different story, so it was easier simply to avoid him

Life went on. Aleks worked hard maintaining his own channel and his effort contributed to the Hub. In an unprecedented move, three fresh-faced betas were added to the Creatures. The days of fear spent hiding away from his father/classmates/strangers with grabby hands and nasty words seemed long past gone. He had coworkers who respected him, friends who would support him, and a society that was gradually, painfully starting to accept his kind.

Aleks was 22 went it all went to shit.


	2. oh i believe in second chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to continue this story after a while lmao oh god I'm sorry
> 
> This is what happens after Tessellate.

They didn't even talk about it, after that spontaneous night of heat and rampant emotion. Some part of James' brain thought that maybe if they ignored it, nothing would happen. No whirlwind romance, none of that sappy soulmate shit that every alpha/omega pair swore was true. Why ruin a good (great, even) friendship for something that might not even be real?

He remembers waking up, too warm and too cramped, tangled with Aleks on the office couch. They were naked and only the slightest whiff of pheromones were left in the air. The first thought James had was 'oh fuck we were loud please tell me nobody heard that.' The second thought was that Aleks had said something right before they passed out like a bunch of lightweights. Something important. But the Russian himself was stirring, heavy in his arms, and James panicked. He did something he would forever consider his most cowardly act. He slipped off Aleks as silent as can be, dressed himself in wrinkled clothing, and left.

The following days went something like this: Go to the Creature Office. Avoid Aleks. Record some videos. Avoid Aleks. Edit some videos. Eat. Destroy one of Jordan's toys. Avoid Aleks. Go home trying to pretend everything was totally fine and that he wasn't ruining the person he lo-. Liked.

It was Dan who first noticed something was up. He had been in the kitchen with James, looking pensive and holding a mug with the words " **#1 BETA** " printed boldly on it. "So I noticed you stopped recording that co-op you were doing with Aleks." James looked up from the ham and cheese sandwich he'd been working on. The question had come out of nowhere, and the fact that Dan brought it up at all left James feeling threatened.

"Why do you care? It doesn't have anything to do with the main channel or yours, so..."

Calming down aggressive alphas was considered a beta's field of expertise, especially in cases where the alpha was unmated and had no claimed omega. Dan was fairly confident in his diplomatic abilities, and had plenty of experience settling the office alphas down. He took a sip from his mug, frowning at the lukewarm taste of coffee. "Aleks hasn't been uploading as many videos as usual and he's been... I don't know, avoiding us? When's the last time he's shown up at the office without Jordan telling him to?"

James slapped a final slice of cheese unnecessarily hard onto his sandwich. "Yeah, I noticed. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Aron's birthday is this weekend. Me and the guys were planning on a little get together to celebrate, at the new bar downtown." Dan took another sip of coffee, slower. "It took some begging but Aleks agreed to come along, and, well. You should too. It'd be a good chance for you guys to talk about whatever the fuck went down between the two of you."

"Nothing went down!"

"Riiiight." Dan drawled, unconvinced. "I think a few drinks and a chill atmosphere would do everyone some good. You're coming, right." The last part wasn't phrased as a question.

James tore off the crust from his sandwich, feeling his appetite disappear. "Yeah, sure. Whatever it takes for you to calm your tits."

Dan smiled lightly. "Trust me, after this weekend everything will return back to normal."

\- - -

The bar was more of a club, called Devils & Queens, and it wasn't a kinky sex dungeon despite the many jokes the interns made. It was small, but the music was bouncing and the liquor was flowing. There was a decent amount of people inside, drinking or dancing or simply hanging out. Stepping through the doors, James could smell about an equal number of alphas and omegas, nearly drowned out by the overwhelming beta majority. The rest of the guys (plus Stef) had already claimed a nice, secluded spot where the music was quieter, and they welcomed James with cheers and whoops.

James gave Aron a friendly punch to the shoulder. "I can't believe it's your birthday. How old are you, like twelve?" The young beta pulled down the brim of his hat and laughed. Beside him, it appeared that everyone was already well into their pints. Artist Joe and Stef were debating loudly with Jordan ("seriously, all the interns are betas, you might as well call us beturns. Interbetas?"). Spencer and Intern Joe were giggling and had their pinkies linked together, pretty much acting like most new beta-beta couples do. All cute and shit. James swallowed his jealousy at their easy relationship and nodded to Dan, who looked suspiciously sober next to Jordan. The beta mouthed the words 'designated driver' and shrugged.

Sitting a little farther away, also looking suspiciously sober, was the person James had worked so hard to avoid, and who he was also completely head over heels for.

'Maybe I can pretend to be violently sick and hide in the bathroom until the night is over.' thought James.

Instead, he dropped into his seat and offered Aleks a forced smile. Aleks offered one back. They didn't share a word. Now that he could actually look at Aleks, James noticed how the omega-in-secret looked tired, more then usual. His eyes were circled in dark rings, his posture slumped over the table. He clutched a can of Pepsi in his hands, but wasn't paying much attention to it, looking lost in his thoughts.

Jordan waved a frothy glass at James. "Why don't you order a drink? And get something for Aleks too, he's been moping in a corner like a dumb ever since we got here!"

"Don't fucking speak for me." Aleks spat, words laced with anger and annoyance and something like fear. And yeah, Jordan sometimes pissed Aleks off, they all teased and mocked each other, it's what The Creatures do. But Aleks had never reacted quite like this before. The table dynamic shifted, the two alphas instinctually bristling and exuding protective pheromones, the betas leaning towards Aleks in unison. James breathed slow, willing himself to calm down. Faintly, he realized Aleks had gone overboard with the scent-masking body wash.

"What's the hell is your problem?" James snapped, feeling strangely like he was missing something glaringly obvious. It was tickling the back of his brain, but he couldn't quite grasp it. The table watched in rapt attention. Jordan somehow had sobered up completely and looked ready to leap into action. He's never exactly flaunted the fact he was a head alpha, acting more silly on camera then stereotypes would suggest. When Spencer and Joe announced their relationship, Jordan had acted more of an amused bystander than a stern paternal figure. Then there were times he'd go all stoic and serious whenever the situation demanded it, like now.

Aleks' jaw clenched tight, glared at a spot behind James' head. He was clearly uncomfortable with all the attention on him, and slinked out of his chair nervously. "Can... can we talk about this outside? This is really urgent..." By the time James blurted out an agreement, Aleks had already made his way to the exit, not even looking back to check if the alpha was following. Dan was staring down James while at the same time calming down the rest of the group. Once again, James felt as if he was clueless about something that should be so clear.

It was warm outside, the spring weather finally kicking in. The sun hadn't set yet so everything was cast in that dim lighting, not dark enough and not bright enough. Aleks had hustled his way from the bar doors, away from a bustle of people and their cacophony, to further down the sidewalk. It was much more secluded there, though Aleks still stood defensively. Shoulders hunched and hands shoved into the pockets of his well-worn jeans. Even after finding out Aleks' true status, even after sleeping with him, James never thought of him as weak or simpering. Aleks was a lot of things. Aleks was annoying and frustrating and Russian and funny. He played bass and had a nice laugh and, based off that One Night nearly four weeks ago, a killer body and ass. Still, when James looked at him, there was a low throb in his belly, his mind going 'protecthimmarkhimprotecthimmarkhim' in litany. It was love and lust and feelings that frankly scared the crap out of James, but Aleks looked so miserable that he had to confront him.

He leaned next to Aleks, backs to the building wall, being careful to not brush their arms. He could still feel the distant thrumming of music through the brick, like a faint pulse that never fades away.

Neither of the men spoke up for a minute. "So." It was Aleks that broke the silence. "First things first: you haven't told anyone that I'm an omega, right?"

James' shifted so his stance was wider, taking up more space. "I know I act like an asshole most of the time, but I'm not that big of an asshole. If you don't want anyone to know your deep, dark secret, then your secret is safe with me, man."

Aleks laughed, but it was hollow and devoid of its usual humor. "Right, sure. It won't matter soon anyways." With each passing word the slim brunet pressed himself further into the wall, arms rising to wrap around his belly. Something was wrong, something was freaking out Aleks very badly and James was picking up every hint but he wanted to hear Aleks say it. His mind couldn't grasp the idea.

"I started feeling really shitty two weeks ago, nasty stomach cramps that only lasted like a few days. It wasn't until I woke up every day wanting to hurl that I suspected it." Aleks was staring hard at the ground, refusing to look anywhere near James. "The pregnancy test said positive."

James had done a lot of stupid shit in his life, partly because he had a very poor impulse control and partly because it raked in the YouTube views. In that moment, standing in the dim light next to a pregnant omega, with the bass line of some pop song pumping behind them, he thought that leaving Aleks alone to wake up on a dirty couch after fucking him was the shittiest. And now Aleks was pushing off the wall, looking poised to run. "Listen, I'm not gonna- I won't expect you to drop everything for me but I'm keeping the kid, and you can't say shit that will make me change my mind." His voice rose until he was borderline shouting, finally making eye contact with the alpha. Defiance was tense in his muscles and James wanted to run his hands across Aleks' back until he went limp and calm. "I'm gonna ask Jordan to drive me home, you should take this time to... process all of this." Aleks motioned to his stomach and nearly bolted away until James gently grasped his arm.

There were so many things James wanted to say, but he was difficulty just breathing. "Let me drive you home." He managed to say. Aleks gave him an indecipherable look before agreeing quietly. They left after James sent a text message to Dan, saying they both felt tired and ready to hit the bed. Dan only replied with 'please be careful'.

\- - -

The car drive was silent except for staticky noises from the radio. By the time they reached Aleks' apartment, it was dark out and the neighborhood was still. Aleks unlocked his door, didn't seem surprised when James invited himself in and stood in between him and the living space.

"We need to talk."

"I thought we already did." Aleks said. God, he really was tired now.

"You talked. I listened and didn't say a word but now I'm ready." James made his voice as firm as possible. He's been over Aleks' place plenty of times before, the couch he dropped onto was as familiar to him as his own. The Russian-born didn't take long to sit beside him. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Each word was gritted out, a struggle not to shout. He didn't want to lose his temper, not yet.

"Why did you avoid me like the plague after fucking me?" Well clearly Aleks didn't have the same concern. His tone was heavy with spite. He didn't want to fight or yell anymore. Not with Aleks, who looked beyond tired. Who was also currently carrying a baby in him. Holy shit, an actual baby. Or fetus. Protectiveness flared in him again, now both for Aleks and his unborn child. Their unborn child and wow, he felt breathless every time he thought about that.

Aleks was pulling into himself again, trying to appear smaller, and James was having not of that anymore. He grasped the omega's shoulders, noting how thin they've gotten. "If you think I'd force you to make an unwanted choice or leave you high and dry after telling me all of this then you're wrong. For fuck's sake, I **want** to be here for you. For this kid and every mood swing and weird cravings you'll get. I'm won't bail out on you like that." He punctuated every sentence with a little shake, wishing to snap Aleks out of the state of fear he wallowed in.

Aleks was so still and quiet in the following second. "I thought you wouldn't want me."

"Are you listening to yourself? How could I not, you're amazing." The raw honesty in his voice brought blushes to both their faces. "And, you know... god, I'm shit at expressing my emotions."

"Ditto." Aleks said, louder, straightening up. He wasn't so tense now, thankfully. Still no eye contact and there was hesitation marring his movements. "There's still so much to do, we need to tell Jordan and buy baby stuff, figure out how'd it effect recording and just. Everything, it's so...."

Seeing Aleks stricken with anxiety made James want to reach over and pull him into a fierce hug. So he did. "Chill. We can start with the easy stuff first, like sharing the news with Jordan, since he'd want to threaten only me. We'll cross the rest of the bridges when we reach them, alright?"

A quick, snuffly breath puffed against his throat. It felt so right, nearly natural to have Aleks tucked against him this way. Maybe they can stay lie this forever. "Sounds like a plan." Aleks sighed. The omega pinched at James' side, a tiny warning. "And no take backs, you're in this for the long haul with me, fucker."

"I certainly am a fucker." James couldn't help but leer, accepting Aleks' answering swat to his head. They tussled a little, ending the playful struggle with a multitude of kisses, sweet and passionate and rough and every emotion they felt. The couch was old and a terrible shade of burgundy, but they still curled up tight together on it, too lazy to move to Aleks' bedroom. And if Aleks noticed the way James rested his hands on the smaller man's belly, he didn't point it out. The next day will bring plenty of planning and anxiety and arguing, but things were absolutely fine that night. They fell asleep with thoughts of each other and small fingers and toes.

\- - -

They ended up telling Dan first, who didn't act surprised at all. Then the interns (Joe and Spencer, after the initial shock, proceeded to coo at them and mentioned how jealous they were). Jordan was last, of course.

\- - - END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohmigawd I am so incredibly sorry for the long wait!!! I am the worlds slowest writer. It is me. ALSO might continue this series. Show how Aleks and James deal with upcoming baby. Hmmmmm
> 
> Oh another note, I'm dabbling in writing fics 4 other fandoms, specifically edm (skriplo/dillton) and roosterteeth (lunacross). Still working on creature fics tho!

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, let me make something clear. I am not a fan of Dex. I didn't want to include him in any of my fanfics but did so anyways here. This will be the only time it happens. If you want to know my specific feelings on the matter, please message me on my tumblr, gamerpyrope.
> 
> alright, that's all until part 2, which will be last part AND show what happened after the events of Tessellate. next thing I'm working on is Under the Black Flag


End file.
